https://declassified.library.utoronto.ca/files/original/08724750f13fe79f0624b0d58fc8f9f5.pdf a44ff5d725818bb560468800fdb00a01 PDF Text Text vi) DS25*!&« ' FM BONN DECS/5? SECRET TO EXTZRNAL 53? PRIORITY INFO LDN NATOPARIS REF OURTEL 535 DEC* I Iy GERMAN VIEWS ON NATO WEAPONS CSC/13 D f, T ~ " ITn« "ft-f]FClGl957 DEC 9 3 lg PM'57 )A/^A I FIL: ?'<>*-/_ cHr.-DiG <v/cj~s' • WE THOUGHT IT MIGHT B E USEFUL TO RECORD THE ATTITUDE OF THE GERMAN GOVT AND OF THE SPD OPPOSITION TO T H E POSSIBLE FUTURE STATIONING IN GERMANY OF THE MOST RECENT WEAPONS. 2oCUNDERLINE)TACTICAL MISSILESCENDUNDERLINE).AT HIS PRESS CONFERENCE ON JUL 14 DEFENCE MINISTER STRAUSS SAID THAT THE BUNDESWEHR WOULD B E EQUIPPED WITH TACTICAL MISSILES FOR ANTI-AIRCRAFT,ANTI-TANK AND CLOSE-SUPPORT ROLES 0 THESE MISSILES WOULD BE ARMED WITH CONVENTIONAL WARHEADS AND*.F0R THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE W THE FEDERAL GOVT HAD NO INTENTION OF EQUIPPING ITS FORCES WITH ATOMIC WARHEADS.THE SPD D E F T N C E SPOKESMAN,FRITZ £RLER P HAS SAID THAT THE SPD FELT THAT USE OF TACTICAL ROCKETSCWITH CONVENTIONAL WARHEADS)SHOULD BE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERED.FROM OTHER SPD SOURCES W E LEARN THAT THAT PARTY WILL MAKE NO FUSS ON THIS SCORE.HOWEVER,THE SPD WILL OPPOSE WITH ALL THEIR STRENGTH ANY EFFORT TO PROVIDE THE BUNDESWEHR WITH ATOMIC WARHEADS FOR THE MISSILES.AS W E HAVE REPORTED,THE GERMAN GOVT WOULD WELCOME SOME EASING OF THE RESTRICTIONS IN T H E BRUSSELS TREATY ON THE PRODUCTIOM OF GUIDED MISSILES IN GERMANY ? PARTICULARLY OF GUIDED ANTI-TANK ROCKETS.THE OPPOSITION DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE AWARE YET OF THE TREND OF THE GOVT'S THINKING IN THIS RESPECT* 3.iUNDERLXNE)STRATEGIC MISSILESCIRBM) I ' E N D U N D E R L I N E ) .THE REACTION OF THE SPD TO SUGGESTIONS THAT INTERMEDIATE-RANGE MISSILES MIGHT BE BASED IN THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC HAS BEEN PROMPT AND EXPLICIT*THE SPD WILL OPPOSE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF IRBM BASES ON GERMAN SOIL NO MATTER WHETHER THE BASES ARE UNDER AMERICAN OR GERMAN CONTROL.FRITZ ERLER HAS STATED HIS PARTY'S STAND THAT SUCH BASES WOULD INVITE SOVIET RETALIATION AND,FAR FROM INCREASING THE SECURITY OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC,WOULD ONLY BRING ADDED DANGERS*THE ESTABLISHED SPD OPPOSITION TO THE USE OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS COMPREHENDS,OF COURSE,USE OF IRBM SINCE,AS ERLER SAID,IT WOULD BE ABSURD TO THINK OF AN IRBM WITH A CONVENTIONAL WARHEAD,THE SPD ARE EMBRACING WITH MUCH ENTHUSIASM THE PROPOSALS TO ESTABLISH AN«ATOM-FREE,MISSILE«FREE n ZONE IN CENTRAL 0 0 ° 2 000731 �PAGE TWO 537 EUROPE.SO FAR,THE SPD HAS NOT MADE ANY PUBLIC DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE POSSIBLE FUTURE POSSESSION AND CONTROL OF STRATEGIC MISSILES BY THE GERMAN GOVT AND FORCES AND THE USE OF FEDERAL REPUBLIC TERRITORY FOR USA MISSILE BASES.IN CONVERSATION YESTERDAY WITH HELMUT SCHMIDT,THE SPD DEPUTY DEFENCE SPOKESMAN,WE ASKED WHETHER THE PARTY HAD,PRIVATELY,MADE ANY DISTINCTIONoHE SAID THE SPD PARLIAMENTARY GROUP HAD CONSIDERED THE MATTER AND DECIDED THAT THE ONLY CONSISTENT ATTITUDE WAS TO OPPOSE ABSOLUTELY THE PRESENCE OF ATOMIC MISSILES ON GERMAN SOIL.HE SAID,HOWEVER,THAT THERE WAS NO DOUBT THAT THE INTENSITY OF HIS PARTY'S OPPOSITION TO IRBMS WOULD BE FAR GREATER IF THEY WERE TO BE IN GERMAN RATHER THAN AMERICAN HANDS,THE FEDERAL GOVT HAS SHOWN A CONTRASTING RETICENCE ON THIS IMPORTANT MATTER OF POLICY.AS WE HAVE REPORTED,THE GOVT DOES NOT WISH TO HAVE TO TAKE A DECISION AT THIS TIMEoTHE PRINCIPAL PUBLIC STATEMENT SO FAR WAS MADE BY VON ECKARDT,THE OFFICIAL SPOKESMAN.HE DENIED A REPORT INCUNDERLINE)SPIEGELiENDUNDERLINE)THAT THE FEDERAL GOVT HAD ALREADY AGREED TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF USA ROCKET BASES IN GERMANY AND SAID THAT THE QUESTION WOULD NOT POSE ITSELF"BEFORE THE NEXT TWO YEARS^HE ADDED THAT FOR THIS REASON IT WAS NEITHER NECESSARY NOR APPROPRIATE TO STATE NOW WHETHER THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC WANTED SUCH WEAPONS.THIS EVASIVE REPLY WAS MORE THAN MATCHED BY HERR STRAUSS WHEN HE SHRUGGED OFF A QUESTION BY SAYING THAT STRATEGIC MISSILES DID NOT FIT INTO THE ROLE ALLOCATED TO THE BUNDESWEHR.WE HAVE ALREADY REPORTED BAUDISSIN'S CONFIDENTIAL COMMENT THAT HIS GOVT WAS NOT ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT HAVING INTERMEDIATE RANGE MISSILES IN GERMANY.I THINK THAT ONLY A CLEAR CONVICTION THAT SUCH WEAPONS WERE ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL FOR MILITARY REASONS WOULD ALTER THIS ATTITUDE RITCHIE 000732 � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context CDNW04034 Title A name given to the resource CDNW04034 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived "NATO Cooperation Regarding Nuclear Weapons And Missile Bases (IRBM)," RG24-B-1, vol 21468, file CSC 2108:1, part 2, Library and Archives Canada (LAC). Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Canadian Crown Subject The topic of the resource Nuclear Weapons Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Canada Declassified Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Language A language of the resource en